Sunday, February 6, 2011

"Stress eating remains the major answer for obesity and many of the obesity related health issues. How to manage it always remains a major question to all humans. In this article author John Smith have few pointers on how to handle this eating. I am sure you all would enjoy reading this article".

Have you ever noticed how major stress can make you want to eat more, especially junk food? This is not just a coincidence; this problem is called stress eating. Stress eating is caused when Cortisol levels rise, also causing your appetite to increase. The extra Cortisol makes you not only eat more but also eat more unhealthy foods, such as junk food. There are some things you can do to help reduce your stress eating habits.

What stress eating can do to your body?

Stress eating is not a healthy thing to do at all. One problem with stress eating is that it can cause you to gain a lot of extra weight. Once you gain the weight it is really hard to lose it again. Also being stressed right before eating can raise your blood sugars. This can be a major problem in the long run especially for those with diabetes.

Things to do to help reduce stress eating

Change your snacking choices

Many times when people are stressed and want something to eat, crunchy foods are the first choice.There are ways to eat crunchy foods without delving into the fattening snack foods such as chips and cookies. Substituting your normal junk food options with healthy vegetable sticks will give you the crunch you need without adding to your calorie intake too much. If you find vegetables too boring, you could always add a low fat yogurt to dip them in.(Read : 5 Healthy Snacks for Winter Season)

Water is your friend

You may not be able to stop stress eating, however there is something else you can do to help fill you up. Drinking a glass of water when you feel like you need to snack is a great idea. Water will fill you up without adding any calories whatsoever to your calorie intake for the day. So the next time you feel like you need to eat something, drink a glass of water first and then decide if you are still hungry.(Read more : Ice Cold Water)

Relaxation exercises

Another way that you can help reduce your stress eating is to reduce your stress. Relaxation exercises can help with this. When you are starting to feel stressed you can do deep breathing exercises before running to the cupboard for a snack.( Try Shavasana or Corpse porse to Relax)

Slow eating

If you find yourself needing some extra food when you are stressed, take your time eating it. Slower eating allows the food time to travel to your stomach. Until the food reaches your stomach you will not know when you are full. Take the time to let the food get down there and you may find that you fill up quicker than you normally would. With time, you will notice that you are stress eating less food then before.( Read more: Eat Slowly )

Focus on the beginning and then stop

When you are stress eating, your mind is telling you that it wants taste wonderful things to feel better. Try focusing on the first few bites of your meal. Enjoy the delicious taste on your tongue. Chances are that after the first few bites, the rest is just you trying to relive the deliciousness and isn’t really necessary. Really taste your food in the beginning and train your body to be ok with stopping after the first several bites of food. Soon you should be able to put down your fork after satisfying your taste buds.

Chew gum instead

Here is an idea to avoid stress eating all together. When you feel the urge to grab a snack while stressed out, grab a piece of gum and pop it in your mouth. Chewing gum will give your mouth the idea of eating food without actually eating any. If you want you can even get sugar free gum to ensure that you are consuming very few extra calories. As an added bonus chewing gum is also great exercises for your mouth.

Stress eating is not a good thing in the long run. It can cause weight gain and make you feel bad about yourself. There are several things you can do to help reduce your need to eat when stressed, even if you cannot quit doing it completely. Do not let stress eating rule and ruin your life.

John Smith manages an onlinenursing scrubs store located at NursingUniforms.net.

"Stress eating remains the major answer for obesity and many of the obesity related health issues. How to manage it always remains a major question to all humans. In this article author John Smith have few pointers on how to handle this eating. I am sure you all would enjoy reading this article".

Have you ever noticed how major stress can make you want to eat more, especially junk food? This is not just a coincidence; this problem is called stress eating. Stress eating is caused when Cortisol levels rise, also causing your appetite to increase. The extra Cortisol makes you not only eat more but also eat more unhealthy foods, such as junk food. There are some things you can do to help reduce your stress eating habits.

What stress eating can do to your body?

Stress eating is not a healthy thing to do at all. One problem with stress eating is that it can cause you to gain a lot of extra weight. Once you gain the weight it is really hard to lose it again. Also being stressed right before eating can raise your blood sugars. This can be a major problem in the long run especially for those with diabetes.

Things to do to help reduce stress eating

Change your snacking choices

Many times when people are stressed and want something to eat, crunchy foods are the first choice.There are ways to eat crunchy foods without delving into the fattening snack foods such as chips and cookies. Substituting your normal junk food options with healthy vegetable sticks will give you the crunch you need without adding to your calorie intake too much. If you find vegetables too boring, you could always add a low fat yogurt to dip them in.(Read : 5 Healthy Snacks for Winter Season)

Water is your friend

You may not be able to stop stress eating, however there is something else you can do to help fill you up. Drinking a glass of water when you feel like you need to snack is a great idea. Water will fill you up without adding any calories whatsoever to your calorie intake for the day. So the next time you feel like you need to eat something, drink a glass of water first and then decide if you are still hungry.(Read more : Ice Cold Water)

Relaxation exercises

Another way that you can help reduce your stress eating is to reduce your stress. Relaxation exercises can help with this. When you are starting to feel stressed you can do deep breathing exercises before running to the cupboard for a snack.( Try Shavasana or Corpse porse to Relax)

Slow eating

If you find yourself needing some extra food when you are stressed, take your time eating it. Slower eating allows the food time to travel to your stomach. Until the food reaches your stomach you will not know when you are full. Take the time to let the food get down there and you may find that you fill up quicker than you normally would. With time, you will notice that you are stress eating less food then before.( Read more: Eat Slowly )

Focus on the beginning and then stop

When you are stress eating, your mind is telling you that it wants taste wonderful things to feel better. Try focusing on the first few bites of your meal. Enjoy the delicious taste on your tongue. Chances are that after the first few bites, the rest is just you trying to relive the deliciousness and isn’t really necessary. Really taste your food in the beginning and train your body to be ok with stopping after the first several bites of food. Soon you should be able to put down your fork after satisfying your taste buds.

Chew gum instead

Here is an idea to avoid stress eating all together. When you feel the urge to grab a snack while stressed out, grab a piece of gum and pop it in your mouth. Chewing gum will give your mouth the idea of eating food without actually eating any. If you want you can even get sugar free gum to ensure that you are consuming very few extra calories. As an added bonus chewing gum is also great exercises for your mouth.

Stress eating is not a good thing in the long run. It can cause weight gain and make you feel bad about yourself. There are several things you can do to help reduce your need to eat when stressed, even if you cannot quit doing it completely. Do not let stress eating rule and ruin your life.

John Smith manages an onlinenursing scrubs store located at NursingUniforms.net.